Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commander of the Army Materiel Command and the Army's first and only female four-star general, was to arrive Sunday night or today. She'll get a couple of days to unpack before her first official day of duty at Redstone Arsenal on Wednesday, according to an AMC spokesperson.

Dunwoody joins about 800 AMC personnel already hard at work here as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision, which is relocating more than 1,300 AMC jobs and the command's headquarters from Fort Belvoir, Va., to Redstone Arsenal. The commander's move - along with her husband, retired Air Force Col. Craig Brotchie and their dog, Barney - into one of the homes built on the arsenal for general officers is a milestone marking the final stages of AMC's transfer into its new, 400,000-square-foot building.

"We've been looking forward to Gen. Dunwoody being down here," said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. "She's a great soldier, a great leader, and she'll be a great asset for this community. ... Having a four-star command in place is something that we in Huntsville are very, very proud of."

The notion of AMC being on the arsenal actually goes back to the early 1990s and an Army proposal to consolidate some commands called "Vision 2000," said Joe Ritch, a local attorney and chair of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee. That initiative fizzled. But, thanks to BRAC and the efforts of many, many people over the years, he said, AMC is arriving.

"Finally, we can say 'Gen. Dunwoody, Craig and Barney, you are home,'" Ritch said. AMC "is finally where it's supposed to be."

Battle said Dunwoody's arrival is also symbolic of the final stages of the 2005 BRAC, which requires all the 4,500 federal positions moving to Redstone Arsenal be relocated by Sept. 15.

"Welcome to Huntsville," Battle said. "We're glad to have you here."

Dunwoody has been AMC's commanding general since November 2008.

Opening ceremonies for the new AMC/USASAC headquarters and the official move of the command's flag will be during Huntsville's Armed Forces Week festivities June 13-17, which include the Army's birthday celebration. The United States Army will turn 236 on June 14.

Although Dunwoody holds higher rank, the commander of the Aviation and Missile Command, Maj. Gen. James E. Rogers, will remain senior mission commander for Redstone Arsenal.